Or...the Personal recollections of an Alfanatic
Yes, this was my Giulietta 1.8 As shown here, lap-dashing with the Alfa Club in 1981. This is a reasonably sharp right-hand corner, taken flat - as you can see from the body roll! Possibly my favourite Alfa, if only because it was my first. Sometimes it understeered, sometimes it gripped, always it rolled, and it managed to survive a lot of fairly high performance driving. But that's what an Alfa is all about - isn't it??
Coming from driving a stiffly-sprung Ford Escort 2.0 mit rally pack, I found the Giulietta's ride magnificent, if a bit strangely soft at first. The Escort would understeer power-on in the wet, oversteer both power-on and lift-off, wet or dry, judder and axle-tramp anytime and generally thump and zoom. But the Giulietta would lean and grip. Wet or dry. With comfort. It smoothed out the bumps where the Escort bounced.
I couldn't say that the Giulietta was quick, although it was competitive - and fast for a 1.8l. The 2.0 Escort managed a few (hand-timed) easy sub-12 second 0-100kmh drags; the Giulietta was struggling to crack 12 seconds. Too much grip, too little torque. In the wet the Alfa creamed the Ford, though. And once I had adjusted to the damned thing leaning so hard, it handled 'better' as well, particularly so above about 130-150km/h. In fact it got better, smoother and more delectable above 150 than I thought possible after the Golfs and Escort. And yes, an indicated 185 was achievable on (of course) derestricted rural backroads. Can't do that now, no derestricted roads and too much traffic.
It's horses for courses, isn't it?
Whatever its shortcomings in fit and finish - or styling - on the dirt the Escort was incomparable. The Giulietta was good, but not as nippy and chuckable as the Escort. Of course this is chalk and cheese stuff in every other respect. The painted interior metal and the cheap plastic in the Ford did nothing for me, and I sold the Escort 6 months after I bought it. It did have a nice induction roar when the 2nd barrel opened, but otherwise fell far short.
Only broke the Giulietta's throttle linkage twice, before I found better quality plastic bits. Had some electrical troubles, resolved with a new alternator at 60,000km. Replaced the rear muffler at 40,000km. (Misfire, backfire, a coincidental bolt of lightning and whammo! a very dramatic hole in the muffler. Sounded like a flat 6 after that!)
This was a car that adapted well to to track, soft suspension or not. 122 BHP, no rev-limiter, it did whatever you asked. At Sydney's Amaroo Park I managed to get it under 70 seconds, with more to come (I suspect). I also flat-spotted 4 tyres, chasing the Club president's somewhat modified 2.0 GTV ;-)
The Giulietta was definitely my favorite. Or so I thought.
You can't beat an Alfa coupe!
I take it back. The GTV 2.0 was - and is again - my all-time favourite. (Despite clutch replaced at 90,000km, hydraulic clutch booster seal twice, propshaft doughnuts far too often, oil seals, electrical bits and window winder. Oh, and rust, rear, caused by a leaking battery.) 175 Nm and 130 BHP, a lot more low-down grunt than my immediately preceding Ford Laser TX3 Turbo 4wd, this is a cruiser par excellence! Of course with lots of miles under its belt it broke and leaked a bit. It remains however a magical car, evocative exhaust and all.
I sold it after 5 years or so (to the mechanic who had done so much work on it) only to buy it back in 2001. In the intervening period it had been re-registered, the suspension was tweaked (Bilsteins, for instance) and the engine basically rebuilt (cracked block). It goes a tad harder, the electronic ignition is more fundamentally robust and it sounds a notch or 2 louder (with new, one size larger exhaust). And it still has the much-loved Campagnolo wheels. Cool.
Of course, the TX3 was new, whereas the GTV was almost 10 years old... and some things were better on the Ford/Mazda. The fuel injection, the painless factory 160bhp turbo propulsion, the four-wheel-drive grip. Sub-9 seconds 0-100 kmh. On the other hand, I craved the GTV. The Ford was dull to sit in, a sea of plastic and sadly it started each and every time; nothing fell off and it was - most damningly - utterly reliable. It rivalled the Escort on the dirt - not quite as much fun, but immensely interesting, with reserves of grip that only a four-wheel-drive can offer in the soft-stuff. It made you feel so invulnerable that it was probably dangerous. One can only imagine what a WRX-driver is thinking, but it is probably similar. Actually I don't want to know what a WRX-driver is thinking.
So, returning to the magical GTV, to compare and contrast with the TX3...I had a local test hill, short and steep with a nasty very-cambered hard left turn immediately after a bring-it-to-a-stop hard right. My Suzuki Gti was all wheelspin and bouncing inside front wheel in the left turn. (The Suzi was hand-timed to 10 seconds, 0 -100 kays. Cool.) The TX-3 was more controlled, but would bog down completely as the turbo lost its boost. What did the GTV do? It flew! That De-Dion rear end kept it all together whilst the mighty 2-litre donk provided the low-rev torque that filled in the gaps. It just didn't falter.
Still, not quick. The GTV was (and remains) only a shade over 10 seconds 0-100 kmh, perhaps less if you believe the factory; but it lopes along, unfussed, in a way that can only impress. Oh, and it sounds and feels much faster.
As if all that isn't magical enough, fast down-hill corners that the TX3 went all taily and scary in, the GTV just eats. No drama, no fuss. Just a more complete car!
The 33ti - not a 'Sud at all... really
Then again, maybe I should say something nice about my Alfa 33ti? (No problems bar wearing out both the front brake rotors and the dampers really quickly, and the theft of a radio/cassette. Alfa replaced the dampers with Koni struts at no charge - the original units leaked oil.) What can I say? Never really found out how good it was, this 1.5litre front-driver popped and farted on the over-run and screamed to as many revs as you dared. I suspect it would have lapped Amaroo quicker than the Giulietta, but I never tried it, so who's to say? And I would wager that it was quicker than either the Suzi or the GTV, but I didn't time it. Oh well.
What I can say is that it was a heap of fun to drive, whilst comfortable and reliable. It got broken into and a rear window as smashed, the Recaro-like seats slashed (they were looking for built-in speakers, I imagine). So I put Wolfrace seats in, big side-bolsters and all. That worked well, and the car remained competent throughout. Not exciting like a GTV, but hey, it was still better than 90% of the blanc-mange on the road. Even if the styling doesn't appeal to some.
What is this obsession with Alfa Romeos? The New South Wales Division of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia may be contacted by snail mail:
Copyright 2008 Robert K. Russell; updated July 06, 2006. Many of the images on this site are for sale, including at higher resolutions
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